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Correlation Between Album Releases and US Traffic Deaths Will Make You Rethink Playing Spotify in the Car

A new study found an increase in traffic fatalities on major album release days, caused by distracted drivers searching Spotify.

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If you’ve ever scrolled through Spotify one-handed with the other on the wheel because you just can’t drive ten minutes to the grocery store without playing Ariana Grande’s latest album, this one’s for you. A new study on distracted driving statistics has noted an increase in traffic deaths on days when major albums are released on streaming platforms.

At first glance, this hyper-specific study seems like correlation versus causation. How could album releases possibly cause fatal traffic accidents, you may ask. The albums themselves aren’t driving the increase. Instead, it’s the drivers who are distracted by Spotify on their phones.

Dr. Vishal Patel’s study examined distracted driving related to smartphone use. The data was narrowed to ten major album release dates in the United States, corresponding to the most first-day streams on Spotify. These dates ranged from 2017 to 2022, tracking several albums by Taylor Swift and Drake, as well as Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Harry........

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